The second episode of Seinfeld’s fifth season, “The Puffy Shirt,” is consistently ranked among the show’s best installments. Series co-creator Larry David has named it as one of his favorites. The premise of Jerry accidentally agreeing to wear a ridiculous shirt designed by Kramer’s “low-talker” girlfriend is delightfully absurd.
On top of that, the episode sets up the season-long arc in which George moves back in with his parents. After Estelle Harris made a few appearances in season 4, this marked the first time that Jerry Stiller played Frank Costanza. Unsurprisingly, this episode has more than its fair share of iconic moments.
10 George Moves Back In With Frank And Estelle
After failing to get another job following the failure of his and Jerry’s NBC pilot, George has to move back in with his parents. Once Jerry and Kramer have moved in his stuff, they say they’re going to leave. George begs them to stay a little longer, but they have to move the car to let traffic through.
Once they’re gone and George sees his mother mindlessly eating a baloney sandwich on the couch, the tragedy of his situation sets in: “Oh my God...”
9 Jerry And Elaine Have Dinner With The Low-Talker
Everyone has met a low-talker. Not everyone has agreed to wear puffy shirts on TV for them, but people have been in similar predicaments as a result of low-talking, which is what makes “The Puffy Shirt” so hilarious.
Kramer can hear every word the low-talker is saying, but Jerry and Elaine are struggling to hear her, just as the audience is.
8 Frank Tells George About His Silver Dollar Collection
On the night that George moves back in, Frank and Estelle take him out for dinner. While they wait for a waiter to notice them, Frank tells George that he used to collect silver dollars.
He explains to George that the collection might have appreciated in value, introducing him to the kind of benign, boring conversation he can expect in his new living arrangement.
7 “But I Don’t Wanna Be A Pirate!”
When Kramer brings the puffy shirt over to Jerry’s apartment, he tells him that since he agreed to wear the shirt on TV, his girlfriend’s been getting a ton of orders. Jerry says, “Uh-huh...since I what?” He doesn’t remember agreeing to it, because he couldn’t hear the low-talker.
The appearance of the shirt — and the looming fear of wearing it on television — makes Jerry panic. Kramer says, “You’re gonna be the first pirate!” Jerry replies, “But I don’t wanna be a pirate!”
6 George Takes Care Of His Hands
In anticipation of his first gig as a hand model, George pulls out all the stops to take care of his skin. He asks his mother to pass him a pair of scissors, then freaks out when she hands them to him with the point facing out.
Frank and Estelle argue about the bananas in the Jell-O, and as the argument gets heated, George tells them that stress is damaging to the epidermis and tells his mother he’ll take his Jell-O in his room.
5 Elaine Laughs At The Puffy Shirt
When Elaine first arrives at Jerry’s dressing room and sees him in the puffy shirt, she bursts into a fit of hysterical laughter. She’s shocked to learn that he intends to wear it on TV.
She tells him, “Jerry, you are promoting a benefit to clothe homeless people. You can’t come out dressed like that!...You look like you’re gonna swing in on a chandelier!”
4 Ray McKigney
At George’s first photo shoot, one of the agents tells him that he hasn’t seen hands like George’s since the days of Ray McKigney. Apparently, he could have any woman he wanted, but no one could live up to his own hands.
Before too long, Ray's hands were deformed claws. He searched the world for a cure, but couldn’t find one. George tells them not to worry about that happening to him, because he “won a contest.”
3 Bryant Gumbel Makes Fun Of The Puffy Shirt
Since he agreed to wear the puffy shirt on TV and the low-talker is manufacturing them based on that agreement, Jerry has no choice but to wear the shirt when he’s interviewed by Bryant Gumbel to promote Elaine’s Goodwill event.
But they don’t get to talk much about the event because Gumbel is distracted by the shirt and makes fun of it until Jerry snaps and reveals that he hates the shirt and feels ridiculous in it.
2 The Low-Talker Pushes George Into An Iron
The A-plot and the B-plot of “The Puffy Shirt” dovetail when George comes to see Jerry in his dressing room and mocks his shirt without realizing the designer is standing right behind him.
She shoves George into the iron, which is turned on, and his hands are permanently damaged, bringing his short-lived career as a hand model to an end.
1 “Can You Spare A Little Change For An Old Buccaneer?”
After Jerry’s disastrous TV appearance, the low-talker’s puffy shirt business goes bust. She donates all the unsold merchandise to Goodwill. On the way out of a restaurant, the gang sees two homeless men wearing them.
One of them asks, “Can you spare a little change for an old buccaneer?” Jerry decides that it’s not such a bad look after all as he gives them some change.
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